Freya [Mythological] ^{1 2}

   Other names for Freya were Frea, Freia, Freyja and Friege.

  Research Notes:

Mythological wife of Odin.

From Wikipedia - Freyja :

Freyja (sometimes anglicized as Freya), cognate to Sanskrit Priya , is a major goddess in Norse Paganism , a subset of Germanic Paganism . Because the documented source of this religious tradition, the Norse Mythology , was transmitted and altered by Christian medieval historians,[1][2][3] the actual role, heathen practices and worship of the goddess are uncertain.

In the Eddas , Freya is portrayed as a goddess of love [4], beauty [4], and fertility [4]. Blonde,[5] blue-eyed,[6] and beautiful,[4] Freyja is described as the fairest of all goddesses,[7] and people prayed to her for happiness in love.[8] She was also called on to assist childbirths[9] and prayed to for good seasons.[10]

Freyja was also associated with war , battle , death , magic , prophecy , and wealth . She is cited as receiving half of the dead lost in battle in her hall Fólkvangr , whereas Odin would receive the other half at Valhalla .[11] The origin of Seid was ascribed to Freyja.[12][13]

Frigg and Freyja are the two principal goddesses in Norse religion,[14] and described as the highest amongst the Asynjur .[15] Freyja is the goddess most honoured after or along with Frigg, and her worship seems to have been even the more prevalent and important of the two.[16] In the Droplaugarsona Saga , it is described that in a temple at Ölvusvatn, Iceland , statues of Frigg and Freyja have been seated upon higher thrones opposite those of Thor and Freyr. These statues were arrayed in drapery and ornaments of gold and silver.

In Heimskringla , Freyja is also presented as a mythological Princess of Sweden . Her father Njörðr is seen as the second mythological King of Sweden , and her brother Freyr is the third. Freyr and Freyja's mother is Njörðr's sister (who has been often linked to the ancient Germanic goddess Nerthus [17]), as it is a custom of the Vanir and allowed by their laws.[12]
Further in Heimskringla, it is written that many temples and statues of native pagan gods and goddesses were raided and destroyed by Olaf Tryggvason and Saint Olaf during the gradual and violent process of the Christianization of Scandinavia . During and after the extent that the process of Christianization was complete, Freyja and many things associated with her were demonized [18] by the growing influence of Christian missionaries. After Christian influence was cemented in law, traces of belief went increasingly underground into mainly rural areas, surviving into modern times in Germanic folklore and most recently reconstructed to varying degrees in Germanic neopaganism .

Etymology
The names Freyr and Freyja come from Germanic words meaning "the Lord" and "the Lady" respectively (Germanic cognates include Gothic Fráuja "lord, master", Fráujo "lady, mistress", Old Norse Frú "mistress, lady, woman", Danish Frue, Swedish Fru, German Frau "miss, woman, wife", Old High German Frouwa, Dutch Vrouw "woman", Frisian Frou "woman", Anglo-Saxon Freo, Frea).[16] Like the French word "Dame" (from Latin "domina"), whose masculine form (Latin "dominus") had perished, the meaning of "Lord" is also no longer in use, while the title "Frau" still survives today in many Germanic languages.

Appearances in Myths
Freyja appears in many myths recorded in the Prose Edda.

Divine twins born after the war of the gods: The war between the Æsir and the Vanir was ignited by the ill treatments of the Æsir to Gullveig, as written in Völuspá . The war ended in a peace treaty, and both sides exchanged hostages. Njörðr was chosen by the Vanir, and sent from Vanaheim to Asgard where he later begot two fair children, as written in Gylfaginning (23 & 24):

The feast of the Æsir : When Ægir came to Asgard, the Æsir invited him in to their banquet. Many gods and goddesses are mentioned here: "And in the high-seats sat them down those twelve Æsir who were appointed to be judges; these were their names: Thor , Njörðr, Freyr, Týr , Heimdallr, Bragi , Vidar , Váli , Ullr , Hœnir , Forseti , Loki; and in like manner the Asynjur: Frigg, Freyja, Gefjun , Iðunn , Gerd , Sigyn , Fulla, Nanna ... The man seated next to Ægir was Bragi, and they took part together in drinking and in converse: Bragi told Ægir of many things which had come to pass among the Æsir." (Skáldskaparmál (1))

The robbery of Brísingamen : The skaldic poem Húsdrápa partially preserved in Skáldskaparmál relates the story of the theft of Brísingamen by Loki: "One day when Freyja wakes up and finds Brísingamen missing, she enlists the help of Heimdallr to help her search for it. Eventually they find the thief, who turns out to be Loki who has transformed himself into a seal. Heimdallr turns into a seal as well and fights Loki. After a lengthy battle at Singasteinn , Heimdallr wins and returns Brísingamen to Freyja." The rivalry of Loki and Heimdallr for Brísingamen is an important event, as they are destined to fight again and slay each other at the end of Ragnarök . Snorri quoted this poem, saying that because of that legend, Heimdallr is called "Seeker of Brísingamen" and Loki is called "Thief of Brísingamen": "How should one periphrase Heimdallr ? By calling him Son of Nine Mothers, or Watchman of the Gods [...] or White God, Foe of Loki, Seeker of Freyja's Necklace [...] Heimdallr is the Possessor of Gulltoppr; he is also Frequenter of Vágasker and Singasteinn, where he contended with Loki for the Necklace Brísingamen, he is also called Vindlér." (Skáldskaparmál (8)) "How should one periphrase Loki ? [...] Thief of the Giants, of the Goat, of Brísingamen, and of Iðunn's Apples, Kinsman of Sleipnir, Husband of Sigyn, Foe of the Gods, Harmer of Sif's Hair, Forger of Evil, the Sly God." (Skáldskaparmál (16))

This myth, which takes place at the sea, is maybe related to the origin of Freyja's name "Mardöll" (Sea-Bright), the bright here is maybe the glittering of the stolen Brísingamen (brísinga means "glittering, twinkling, flaming"). In Heimdallr 's name, the word dallr (light) is masculine of döll, and heim means "earth" or "land" (cf. Vanaheim , Alfheim ). This is maybe one of the lost tales of Freyja's journey in search for her husband (as Snorri wrote: "She has a great variety of names, for having gone over many countries in search of Óðr , each people gave her a different name".)[21] In Gesta Danorum is another story of a beautiful woman named Sýr (Latinized as Syritha) seeking for Óðr/Óttar (Latinized as Otharus).[16][21]

The owner of Svadilfari : This giant came to offer to build a citidel for the gods in three seasons. He demanded to marry fair Freyja, also the sun and the moon as his rewards. Following Loki's ill advice, the gods accepted the deal, but they later urged Loki to deceive the giant to protect Freyja. Loki turned into a mare and seduced Svadilfari, the huge steed of the giant. Without his horse, the giant could not complete his job, he was enraged, insulted the gods, and eventually got slain by Thor before the deal was completed. Loki's prank ultimately backfired on him, and he bore the son of the horse Svadilfari, Sleipnir . (Gylfaginning (42))

The abduction of Iðunn : The giant Thjazi captured Loki and forced him to lure Iðunn out to kidnap her along with the golden apples. Without the apples of youth, the gods grew old and they soon found out that Iðunn was missing. She was last seen going with Loki, so they cornered the giant and threathened to slay him. Loki had to borrow the hawk's plumage of Freyja to go and free Iðunn. Thjazi chased after them in eagle form, but he was roasted by the gods' fire. Thjazi is father of Skaði , who later became Freyr and Freyja's stepmother. Skaði's march to Asgard for vengeance ended in a marriage with Njörðr. (Skáldskaparmál (1))

Thor 's duel: After his race with Odin, which he lost, the champion of the giants, Hrungnir , came to Asgard. Thor is absent, so he boasted that he would destroy Valhalla , slay all the gods, and take Freyja and Sif home with him. Of all goddesses, Freyja alone was brave enough to stand and pour ale for the giant to waste time while Thor is summoned. The god of thunder, with the help of his clever servant Þjálfi , later slew Hrungnir in a duel, but Thor himself was struck by the giant's horn and also wounded. This is one of the reasons why the Hill Giants are amongst the gods' enemies at the final battle. (Skáldskaparmál (17))

Baldur 's funeral: Baldur, the best of the Æsir, can not be harmed by anything. Loki turned himself into a woman to trick Frigg into revealing that Baldur can only be hurt by the mistletoes. Loki then tricked the blind god Hödr to shoot his brother with a mistletoe twig, thus Baldur was murdered by the evil giant Loki's trickery. "People of many races visited this burning. First is to be told of Odin, how Frigg and the Valkyries went with him, and his ravens; but Freyr drove in his chariot with the boar called Gold-Mane, or Fearful-Tusk, and Heimdallr rode the horse called Gold-Top, and Freyja drove in her chariot drawn by cats..." (Gylfaginning (49))

Homologues
It has been proposed that Freyja may be the most direct mythological descendant from Nerthus .[17] Nerthus, a goddess associated with a number of Germanic tribes as described by Tacitus in the 1 AD in his work Germania , is sometimes identified with Njörðr through etymological connections. The first name is the exact older linguistical stage of the latter. Njörðr married his sister; they have a son, Freyr, and a daughter, Freyja. This secondary pair of deities may be an "emanation" of the first.[54] Like Freyja's chariot, the early Germanic goddess Nerthus was also often described as riding a wagon.

Britt-Mari Näsström posits in her "Freyja: the Great Goddess of the North" that there is a tenable connection from Freyja to other goddesses worshiped along the migration path of the Indo-Europeans who consistently appeared with either one or two cats/lions as companions, usually in the war goddess aspect but occasionally also as a love goddess. These would include: Durga , Ereshkegal , Sekhmet , Menhit , Bast , Anat , Asherah , Nana , Cybele , Rhea , and others.[55]

Freya married Odin [Mythological], son of Frithuwald [Mythological] and Beltsa [Mythological]. (Odin [Mythological] was born about 215 in <Asgard or Asia or East Europe>.)